Angelo
by generalquistis
Summary: What happens in the life of a dog when other people take care of him??? ...by the way, if you're unaware, Angelo is Rinoa's dog...
1. Angelo

1 Angelo  
  
By: General Quistis  
  
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story plot… thank you very much…  
  
Author's note: I find Angelo cute and cuddly and lovable and if I could have a dog instead of a cat, I'd name him Angelo… (although my cousin would probably tell me, I thought you'd name your dog Seifer?!)  
  
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I opened my eyes early one morning when I heard the door of my Mistress' bedroom open. I yawned lazily as I adjusted my vision to the man who entered… couldn't tell what his hair color is but I think it's what humans refer to as "brown" or maybe "mahogany"… hey, I'm a dog! I see things as black & white! He had this gentle smile on his face as he approached me… kinda weird for a guy like him coz his other human friends would usually say that it's only once in a blue moon that he smiles that way… until he met my Mistress.  
  
"Hey, Angelo, how's it goin'?" he asked me as he patted my head. I wagged my tail happily, wanting to prove to him that I appreciate him for my Mistress. If I remember my Mistress saying his name… I think it's Squall… yes, I think it's Squall Leonhart…  
  
Mister Squall rubbed my chin and he let me lick his palm… his gloved palm… Hey, if you're curious, leather doesn't taste that good! ;_;  
  
I stood up and stretched and noticed that he left the door open. I turned my gaze to Mister Squall who was already seated on my Mistress' bed, trying to wake her up with what humans call "gentle kisses"… though I don't really know how they do that. Why can't he just lick her face the way my kind does? That's how we dogs kiss! Oh well, so much for that thought… they're not dogs…  
  
Thinking that they could get mushy again, I ran out of the room and sat outside in the middle of the hallway.  
  
Suddenly, I realized I was already hungry…  
  
Dog kibble, dog kibble, dog kibble… kibble, kibble, kibble…  
  
The Cafeteria…  
  
Yes, this Garden has a Cafeteria… maybe I could go there and maybe the Cafeteria Lady can give me some kibble… that's the place where humans get food in this Garden, and I hope that they have some dog food too… I sniffed my way to the Cafeteria and noticed some students looking at me and I even heard them saying, "Hey, isn't that Rinoa's dog?"  
  
"Don't worry, he doesn't bite…"  
  
I was interrupted when someone called my name. "ANGELO!"  
  
I stopped walking and turned around. When I looked up, I saw this pretty girl with long bangs and her hair tied up with a clamp… if memory serves me right, I think her name is Quistis… forgot her surname but it's from French origin and it rhymes with Crepe… oh! I think it's Trepe! Hehehe…  
  
She ran to me and I sat down and wagged my tail to show my appreciation for her. Finally, a human to go with me to the Cafeteria so that the people there would have a clue that I'm a famished dog!  
  
Miss Quistis bent down and patted my head. "Hello there, doggie! How are you?" she asked.  
  
Behind her was this very tall guy who just became a SeeD yesterday… and he's wearing a trench coat. He looked down at me with a silly smile. "What's he doing in the hallway instead of being in Rinoa's room?" he asked Quistis.  
  
I barked, wanting to tell him that Squall's inside my Mistress' room so I had to get out… he couldn't understand that even though I've heard people call him "lapdog"… even though he looks like a human to me… oh well, maybe it's just one of those human vernaculars or idioms…  
  
"Maybe someone left the door open and Angelo got out…and he's headed for the Cafeteria… you think he's hungry?" Miss Quistis asked the tall man.  
  
I think his name's Seifer and I really didn't like him as my Mistress' ex… but anyway, at least they forgot about that relationship that I wouldn't actually call a relationship…  
  
"I don't know about you, Instructor…" he replied.  
  
"Stop calling me Instructor coz I'm not an instructor anymore!" she snapped as she stood up. But she wasn't angry. She just sounded like it…  
  
Mister Seifer bent down and patted my head and I licked his hand… yuck, leather gloves again…  
  
"Let's go, Angelo. I doubt if your Mistress ever feeds you the right things!" he told me as he quickly scratched my head and led the way. Miss Quistis was walking beside him and so I had to walk behind them. I followed closely and I was thinking about what Mister Seifer had mentioned earlier before we started walking to the Cafeteria… My Mistress feeds me the right things… except sometimes, she leaves the job to Mister Squall or any other of her friends. It's funny why my Mistress refuses to go home to General Caraway, her father… I know that she can be very rebellious but I'm sure that there's a valid reason on why she dreads her father very much… that's why she's staying in this Garden with me.  
  
There's this woman with dark hair and a loving gaze who was just coming out of the cafeteria. "Hello, Matron," Miss Quistis greeted her with a tone that sounded so kind. "Hi, mom," Mister Seifer said.  
  
Matron smiled at them and then giggled as she looked at Mister Seifer. "Why are you calling me mom?" she asked.  
  
"Hey, chill out! You're the only person that I could look up to as my mother, right Quistis?" he asked, nudging Miss Quistis.  
  
Miss Quistis nodded. "Yeah, he's right, mom." She said.  
  
I barked to get Matron's attention. She looked down at me. "Oh, and why is Rinoa's dog following you?" she asked them with a smile.  
  
"We're gonna feed him. He's hungry. I don't know where his owner is." Mister Seifer replied with a proud smile.  
  
"Okay…I just had my breakfast… oh and congratulations again for making it as a SeeD. I'm very proud of you!" Matron said as she patted Mister Seifer's shoulder.  
  
When we got to the cafeteria, Miss Quistis and Mister Seifer sat together in a table for 3 after they got their breakfast trays. I jumped up on the other vacant seat facing them… and Miss Quistis gave me a bowl of milk. "Drink up. Calcium's good for growing dogs!" she said with a sweet smile.  
  
"Quistis, Angelo's a full-grown dog." Mister Seifer cleared out as he placed a bowl of bacon strips beside the milk bowl.  
  
"I know, but I just like this dog… he's so cute, don't you think?" she asked as she reached out and patted my head gently while I was already drinking the milk. I had to admit that she's such a gentle human… gentler than that other girl with short hair… I think her name's Miss Selphie. She usually ends up chasing me around the Quad or by the Balamb Port…but she's also nice coz she takes time to buy me dog biscuits whenever my Mistress is dating Mister Squall. The other tall girl with whitish hair and with the eye patch on her left eye is just so-so… she never really speaks to me and I never actually heard her say my name, but she pats my head and makes me fetch that boomerang-like weapon of hers…  
  
I don't really understand why these humans even bother to take care of me and be nice to me… but the other dogs out there are starving to death and longing for someone to take care of them… I guess I'm just plain lucky to have these kind of people around me… 


	2. Angelo 2

1 Angelo  
  
By: General Quistis  
  
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story plot…  
  
Author's note: No, I'm not writing this for World Animal Day… and I'm not promoting Animal Kindness… but I hope that all of you who are reading this are not animal-haters but animal-lovers just like me… ^o^ The moral of this fic may not be "Be Kind To Animals", but I hope that you are kind to animals… they're living creatures just like us humans too! ;_; Heck, I'm outta here… just read!  
  
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I was looking forward to spending the day sleeping until the wee hours… but no; I wasn't able to do that.  
  
After breakfast with Mister Seifer and Miss Quistis, I was surprised when Mister Squall suddenly entered the Cafeteria with my Mistress. I jumped down from my seat and ran to her, barking happily as my greeting to her while wagging my tail happily. She giggled as she began to play with me, patting me and then hugging me tightly. "Good morning, Angelo! Have you eaten already?" she asked sweetly.  
  
I barked once as a "yes" to her question.  
  
"We fed him, don't worry about it." Miss Quistis told her with a kind smile.  
  
"Thanks for feeding my dog… but was he a nuisance?" my Mistress asked with a worried tone.  
  
Can't she trust me that much or she just can't think of another question to keep the conversation going…  
  
Mister Seifer shrugged. "Don't worry about it, he wasn't a nuisance. Quistis loves that dog." He told my Mistress.  
  
My Mistress went to them with Mister Squall. "Headmaster Cid asked me to deliver a message to General Caraway and Rinoa is going with me… it's a very important mission and…" Mister Squall began as I went to my Mistress' side and nuzzled my face against her leg. She bent down, smiling gently and hugging me again. "Angelo, I'm going to miss you… but I promise I'll be back… is that okay?" she asked me gently.  
  
Where is she going? I wished I could speak the human tongue… unfortunately, I can't, coz I'm a dog…  
  
"WHAT?!" Mister Seifer reacted in disbelief, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up at Mister Squall and then back at Mister Seifer. "You're expecting me and Quistis to take care of Angelo while the two of you are away on your honeymoon?" he demanded.  
  
Honeymoon?  
  
Mister Squall blushed and shook his head frantically. "It's not a honeymoon, it's a mission!" he cleared out.  
  
"We're not even married yet, Seifer," my Mistress said with a slight blush as she tightened her embrace on me. She was stroking my fur and it really feels nice… and I wanted to run away when she whispered, "You need a bath, your fur feels weird already…"  
  
"I was just kidding, puberty-boy!" Mister Seifer said as he nudged Mister Squall's elbow.  
  
"Whatever…" Mister Squall replied.  
  
"Quistis and I are going to do some pet-sitting so you'd better pay us 5,000 Gil each… unless you want Chicken-wuss to do the job? He might turn Angelo into a hotdog!" Mister Seifer said.  
  
"5,000 Gil?! That's robbery!" My Mistress reacted. I licked her face and she nuzzled her face against my fur. "You still smell good, Angelo! Good for you… but you still need a bath… we'll just ask Seifer and Quistis to give you a nice warm bath later this afternoon, okay?" she asked with a sweet smile.  
  
"5,000 Gil: take it or leave it… pet-sitters should be paid too, you know?" Miss Quistis told Mister Squall. Somehow, I think that her hanging around with Mister Seifer and his posse for the last few months had taught her a little bit of attitude… oh well, at least she still sounds cool like her other friends…  
  
"Okay, 5,000 Gil… no problem. Half of my salary will go to you… after all, Headmaster's gonna pay me 10,000 for this mission. Is that okay?" Mister Squall asked Mister Seifer and Miss Quistis.  
  
"Sure. Nice doin' business with you." Mister Seifer said.  
  
Gee… pet-sitters… never had one before… but I think Mister Squall and my Mistress chose the right people to do the job…  
  
"We'll be back next week." Mister Squall told them.  
  
"Just one question though, if you don't mind…" I heard Mister Seifer whisper to Mister Squall.  
  
"What?" Mister Squall asked.  
  
"I thought your girlfriend hates her daddy, how come she's coming with you?" Mister Seifer asked.  
  
"Matron spoke to her and advised that she gave her dad another chance." Mister Squall replied.  
  
"Are the two of you whispering something about me?" My Mistress snapped with a fierce look on her face.  
  
"No, we're whispering something about Xu. She seems cranky this morning." Mister Seifer fibbed.  
  
"Yeah." Mister Squall joined it. My Mistress ignored them as she brought out a list of things and handed it to Miss Quistis. "The important things for my dog to keep him alive: Feed him; give him a bath preferably in noontime or when the sun is already up high… especially when he starts to stink or even before he starts to stink or when he gets himself dirty; walk him; play with him; pet him; brush his coat; give him flea powder; give him his vitamins, I'll leave it in your room…; make him comfortable; don't hurt him; don't tease him; don't put him into danger; don't let him roam around like a stray dog…" the list went on and on.  
  
"I know, Rinoa… just leave him to us." Miss Quistis interrupted my Mistress as she took the list and placed it inside Mister Seifer's trench coat pocket.  
  
My Mistress is going away! I felt sad all of a sudden because I wouldn't be able to see her until next week… I began to whimper to let her know that I'll miss her. She knelt down and hugged me again. "Aaw, don't worry, Angelo darling…mommy will be back within a week. Hey, don't worry, you like Quisty, right? And Seify too? Uh-huh?" she asked, making me nod my head as she held the sides of my face. I shook my head free from her grasp and she giggled. She embraced me again and kissed the top of my head. "Quisty and Seify are going to take good care of you… just bite them if they don't, okay?" she told me with a wink.  
  
I kept on whimpering because I really felt sad… I'm going to miss my Mistress… ;_;  
  
With that, she let go of me and took Mister Squall's hand. They headed for the door, but before they completely got out, they looked back at Mister Seifer and Miss Quistis, then at me. They waved goodbye. I barked to say goodbye. They smiled and left.  
  
Miss Quistis approached me and knelt down, hugging me. "Good doggie, Angelo… don't worry, for one week, I'm going to be your new mommy, is that okay with you?" she asked with a gentle smile.  
  
"Oh, and let me guess, I'm his new daddy?" Mister Seifer asked her as he bent down to pat my head gently.  
  
I wagged my tail happily.  
  
"So, what do you want to do today, Angelo?" Mister Seifer asked me.  
  
I wanted to take a walk outside, and before I could think of a way to force them outside, Miss Quistis spoke up, "Let's walk him by the port. He'll enjoy the breeze there." she said.  
  
"That's a nice idea." Mister Seifer said. "Does he need a leash or something?" he asked.  
  
No, I don't need a leash.  
  
"Nah, he won't need a leash. I'm sure he's very obedient and smart too… say," Miss Quistis turned to me with a keen smile on her face. "What's two plus two?" she asked.  
  
I sat down, still wagging my tail happily. I barked twice. Easy question…  
  
She clapped her hands in delight. "You see? He's such a smart dog! Rinoa's a good owner." She said.  
  
Of course, my Mistress is a good owner… she trained me hard and she took care of me ever since I was a little puppy…  
  
As we were headed out of the Garden, a lot of people were looking at my temporarily new parents. They were walking side by side and they were sharing stories with each other, and they act like they're so close like my Mistress and Mister Squall… whom she and the others refer to as her "boyfriend".  
  
"You know, thanks to you I'm already a SeeD." I heard Mister Seifer tell Miss Quistis as soon as we arrived in the port. "Well… it was my job. You're very lucky that Matron and Cid gave you another chance…" Miss Quistis replied.  
  
They sat down on a bench and I stood by the edge of the port, watching the waves. I admit that I was a little bored… Aren't they supposed to be walking me?  
  
"We're supposed to be walking the dog, not sitting here." Miss Quistis told him.  
  
I stood up and went to him, nuzzling my face against Mister Seifer's right calf. He reached down to me and patted my head. "You heard that, Angelo? Quisty said that we should be walking you, huh?" he told me.  
  
"You go ahead, I'll stay here for a while…" Miss Quistis told him.  
  
I barked thrice and she looked down at me, smiling sweetly. "I'll be over at the shop and I'm going to buy you some dog treats… would you like that?" she asked me.  
  
"Oh, so you leave the walking to me?" Mister Seifer told her as she stood up and knelt down, hugging me tightly. "Seify will walk you around town, okay? Behave or you wouldn't get any dog treats from me, ya hear?" she asked with a gentle but stern tone… like a dog instructor or something…  
  
With that, she let go of me and gave me one last pat on the head before she stood up and gently flicked Mister Seifer's nose. "See you later, Seifer." She said with a sweet smile before she ran off.  
  
I barked as a goodbye to her as I watched her run off. Afterwards, Mister Seifer began to walk away. "Let's go, Angelo," he told me. I wagged my tail happily as I walked beside him. "So, where do you want to go? You wanna go around town or maybe out in the fields and slay some Bite Bugs or somethin'?" he asked me.  
  
I don't really like the idea of killing Bite Bugs with this guy because I've never actually went into real battle with any other person besides my Mistress… so I just stopped walking and sat down, but I was still wagging my tail.  
  
Mister Seifer stopped walking and turned back to me. "Okay, I get it… you don't want to go because I am not Rinoa, right?" he asked me.  
  
I barked once to let him know that it's a "yes".  
  
He went back to me and patted my head. "You're a big dog…" he told me.  
  
Yeah, so I'm a big dog… what's the big deal?  
  
He smiled gently and knelt down beside me. "Let's just take a walk around town, shall we? Then we'll go back to the port where we'll meet Quistis again… and then we'll have lunch and in the afternoon, we're going to give you a bath and then afterwards, you can rest and then in the evening, we'll leave you with some other people… who'll it be: Nida or Raijin?" he asked me.  
  
I started weighing the consequences, wondering what awaits me if I let that Nida (whoever the hell he is…) or Mister Raijin guard me… hey, why would Mister Seifer leave me with one of those guys?  
  
He stood up and led the way to the next street. "Okay, let's go, Angelo…" he told me.  
  
I followed right behind him. 


End file.
